Federal File

Flying first class

For Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, the timing of President
Clinton's return to Martha's Vineyard, Mass., after the recent missile
strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan couldn't have been more
fortuitous.

Like the president, Mr. Riley had planned to spend some time last
month visiting friends on the resort island off Cape Cod.

But when Mr. Riley and his wife arrived at Ronald Reagan/Washington
National Airport on the morning of Aug. 21, they discovered that Mr.
Riley's airline reservation had been lost, and that there were no seats
left on the flight they'd planned to take.

Luckily for the secretary, his good friend Mr. Clinton was returning
to the island that day from Washington, where he'd traveled after
announcing the anti-terrorist action.

Mr. Riley hitched a ride on Air Force One, and he used the travel
time to brief the president on his recent activities to promote school
safety, said Julie Green, the secretary's spokeswoman.

There are no free rides, though. Because it was not an official
trip, Mr. Riley must reimburse the federal government for the
equivalent of the cost of one first-class airline ticket, Ms. Green
added.

Scandal reaction

The trip came just days after Mr. Clinton admitted his involvement
with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky--an admission that
prompted many television news programs to replay videotape of an
informal press conference outside the White House in January that
included Mr. Riley.

The secretary had joined other Cabinet members in a show of support
for Mr. Clinton, who initially denied having a relationship with Ms.
Lewinsky. ("Business as Usual,"
Feb. 4, 1998.)

Soon after Mr. Clinton's Aug. 17 address acknowledging an
inappropriate relationship, Mr. Riley said he and the rest of the staff
at the Department of Education were focusing on their work.

"I'm pleased he came forward and took full responsibility for his
actions," Mr. Riley said of the president in a prepared statement.

"I'm relieved we can now put this behind us so we can do our work,"
the secretary said.

He added: "The president's charge to the Cabinet all along was to
maintain our focus on our work, and that's what I've been doing."